McDonald’s education includes tough exams vs. teammates

The early education of rookie tight end Vance McDonald has included some graduate-level courses led by professors Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks.

The problem: The 49ers rookie tight end still only has an elementary-school degree in pass blocking.

San Francisco’s second-round pick smiled broadly this week when asked about one-on-one blocking drills against those hard-charging outside linebackers, who combined for 26 sacks in 2012. McDonald, who was a slot receiver as a junior at Rice, never passed blocked in college.

“That’s one thing we pride ourselves on here,” McDonald said. “We’ve got some of the greatest backers in the league and we get to practice against them every single day. So it’s awesome. But when you get you’re butt kicked, yeah, it sucks.”

Yes, McDonald has taken some lumps this summer while also showing why the 49ers traded up six spots to select him with the No. 55 pick.

At 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds, he’s a fluid route runner with excellent run-after-the-catch ability. The not so good: He’s had too many drops during training camp and his blocking, as expected, is a work in progress.

McDonald’s first preseason game last week was a microcosm of his training camp.

On the first play of the second quarter, he flashed his athleticism: Lined up on the left side, he ran away from Broncos linebacker Stewart Bradley on a shallow crossing route for a 19-yard reception, with 17 of those yards coming after the catch.

Ten minutes later, however, he had a not-so-memorable result when he ran the same route from the right side: With safety David Bruton closing in, McDonald, perhaps hearing footsteps, dropped an on-target pass from Scott Tolzien and clapped his hands in disgust.

McDonald finished with team-highs in catches (4) and yards (66).

“There’s plenty to clean up,” McDonald said. “I heard that from the coaches and I knew that myself before even watching the film. At the same time, it’s still exciting. Your first game is a big deal.”

On Sunday, McDonald said he was eager for Game 2 in Kansas City on Friday, but he’ll have to wait at least a week. On Monday, Jim Harbaugh said McDonald would be sidelined for about 7 to 10 days because of an undisclosed injury.

If he follows that timeline, he’ll be back for the third preseason game against Minnesota on Aug. 25. The good news: The Vikings don’t have Aldon Smith on their roster.

“That’s the great thing – you know some of this in practice is about as tough as it gets,” McDonald said. “You’re learning from the best. You wouldn’t have it any other way.”